Fortinet FortiAP 421E - wireless access point
Mfg # FAP-421E-A
CDW # 4231395
| UNSPSC 43222640
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Consolidate security and wireless LAN management with the integrated wireless solution. Single-pane-of-glass management for security and access without the need to add point products simplifies deployment and reduces management complexity. These solutions are highly scalable to support even the largest organizations and distributed enterprises.
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Fortinet FortiAP 421E - wireless access point is rated
4.40 out of
5 by
5.
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Noor-E-Mozammil Alighan from
Beneficial central management and overall useful features
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are central management and the many other features available.
What needs improvement?
The roaming of Fortinet FortiWLM could improve when comparing it to other solutions. We are missing some of the functionality in the controller. Additionally, they should offer more logs instead of using FortiAnalyzer because all the users will not be using the same thing.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiWLM for approximately two weeks.
How was the initial setup?
You need to understand the concept first before you can implement the solution. You need to be familiar with networking first to be able to install Fortinet FortiWLM.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiWLM an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-01-11T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mike-Robinson from
Stellar visibility, coverage, throughput, and technical support
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiWLM in medical offices.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of this solution are its speed, reliability, and integration with the firewall.
What needs improvement?
Cost is something that could be improved, but you have to pay for what you get.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been dealing with Fortinet FortiWLM for three years.
The series we are using is 431F.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Fortinet FortiWLM is phenomenal.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is exceptional. You can integrate into the firewall and have full visibility on a single pane of glass.
How are customer service and support?
Phenomenal. Fortinet's technical support is outstanding.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we were using Meraki. We are getting better coverage, better throughput, and a more stable connection with Fortinet FortiWLM.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty straightforward. It can be deployed in minutes.
I am a single person responsible to maintain, more than 18 offices and 60 APs. I do everything myself. The single pane of glass and the integration of the complete Fortinet product line, are very easy to deploy and maintain.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The prices are high, but you get what you pay for if you can afford it.
Support contracts typically cost approximately $100.00 per year.
In addition to licensing fees, there are no other costs.
What other advice do I have?
We replaced Meraki, and my advice is that we switched from a mandatory maintenance contract to an optional maintenance contract, which costs significantly less per unit.
I would rate Fortinet FortiWLM a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-01-06T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1191684 from
Decent IPsec VPN management, though lacking in site survey tools
What is our primary use case?
At our company we're using mainly Fortinet, instead of, say, Cisco, for firewalls and other networking solutions that we offer to customers, and right now, we only have one customer who uses FortiWLM. Unfortunately the customer was not able to properly perform a site survey during the initial project, so they now have a few problems with their WiFi network. However, we don't attribute the problems they have encountered to FortiWLM itself. The customer did not follow the instructions during the installation when we asked them to position the access points in specific sections so as not to interfere with each other.
Because of this, our experience with FortiWLM hasn't been very good, and we have not implemented any further FortiWLM solutions for other customers to date. Though, I must emphasize that it was not because of a problem with FortiWLM. It was merely because a proper site survey was not performed from the beginning, and so the positioning of the access points was not optimal.
What is most valuable?
At the moment, particularly with the COVID-19 situation, the most valuable feature is probably the IPsec VPN, which is easy to implement and manage with Fortinet.
When compared with Sonic Wall and Palo Alto, Fortinet is more straightforward, whereas with the other solutions the procedure to implement the proper IT connections for end users was somewhat more complicated. I think that's a valuable point for Fortinet, when you consider all the SD-WAN technologies that they have. They are straightforward and go well together.
What needs improvement?
The interface could certainly do with some improvement. We have other customers with WiFi networks, and they always use Ubiquiti. With Ubiquiti, it's a much better user interface, and it is much easier to configure. I managed to get some certificates myself, so I can speak for some features that we need to consider on our wireless networks that are easier to implement with Ubiquiti which aren't so straightforward with Fortinet.
When it comes to Ubiquiti, we have something that we use a lot which is similar to a site survey. Once all the access points are positioned physically inside the office, we can perform a scan on the premises themselves, so the customers can find which channels have more interference, which have less interference, and automatically distribute channels for each access point, and make it so these access points do not cause interference with each other. That feature is extremely useful for us, and it is something that is sorely lacking in Fortinet FortiWLM.
With FortiWLM, we have to perform that type of survey manually, discovering which channels have less interference, and then manually distribute these channels to each access point.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
My impressions on stability are good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is certainly scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The tech support is good. I don't have any complaints. We have a lot of experience interacting with them and more often than not they can successfully work with us on solutions.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used Sonic Wall and Palo Alto products before, yet we have definitely found Fortinet to be more straightforward.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is easy. Of course, I don't think it's as easy as with Ubiquiti, as that's a big sales point for them. Fortinet still has some catching up to do in this regard, but the setup is not that difficult compared to other solutions such as Meraki.
What about the implementation team?
Our implementations with Fortinet solutions vary with the customer size. For a small to medium company of up to 200-250 employees, I'd say a team of four specialists would be required.
If we are only using FortiGate and FortiWLM, and if we have more products such as for email and for the client, and for the endpoints, then maybe a specialist just for Fortinet, and four to five extra people.
In general, I would say that at least two engineers would be required for a medium-sized company of about 250 employees.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
To save yourself from increased setup and maintenance costs, I highly recommend undertaking a proper site survey from the beginning.
What other advice do I have?
Fortinet FortiWLM is a good solution, though I must add that it is of paramount importance that whoever implements any WiFi solution ?— be it Fortinet or any other solution ?— must complete a site survey. In our experience with currently our only FortiWLM customer, we did not have a good experience, but again, it was simply because they did not perform a proper survey, and there's not much more to said. A site survey is very important.
I would rate Fortinet FortiWLM a seven out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-01-09T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Monzurul Karim Khan from
High-performing solution that gets the job done
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the roaming profile, the mesh, and the performance.
What needs improvement?
Areas for improvement would be the compatibility with Apple products and cross-platform integration. In the next release, I would like them to include accessibility authentication for user authentication.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for two and a half years.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy.
What about the implementation team?
I implemented using an in-house team.
What other advice do I have?
Once you install this solution, it just runs properly and gets the job done. I would rate it as ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-01-05T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Zachary Wheeler from
Impressive manufacturing quality, highly durable, and very easy to deploy
What is our primary use case?
We're putting together one of our more complex Fortinet environments. It involves switch-to-switch fiber connections, and it also includes the deployment of outdoor access points to power cameras, in addition to providing WiFi. There is also the deployment of a firewall, and I believe they are going to convert all level two or level one switches to level three.
It is deployed on-prem.
How has it helped my organization?
It is enabling us to have an internet connection to remote locations on the client's property to drive security cameras with complete coverage. It is an incredibly harsh outdoor environment subject to lightning, sun, and heat. It is pretty much the worst tech environment you could ever imagine. When we opened up some of the access points in front of the client to show them, he was absolutely floored or impressed by the manufacturing quality and the durability. It had an instant customer buy and acceptance. They're a Cisco house, so the introduction of this Fortinet was our doing, and so far, it has been doing very well for someone who's new to the Fortinet family.
What is most valuable?
For me, the ease of setup and the rugged nature in harsh environments are most valuable. So, durability and ease of use have been its best features.
What needs improvement?
They need to do more with their marketing. That's what's wrong with them. Nobody knows they do all this other stuff. I love the product. For an enterprise-level system, you never have to explain why you're recommending Fortinet, whereas you might have to do that if you want to use the Ubiquiti Professional or the new Netgear line, but you don't have to explain Fortinet. It has been remarkable to work with.
It would be nice if they had some smaller switches or hubs. They should offer two-port, three-port, or four-port devices so that you don't have to buy an eight-port switch, and you don't have to use an unmanaged element, but their product line is very complete, and I can't say enough about it.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been working with this solution for about a year and a half, and our level of experience is growing day by day.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate it a 10 out of 10 in terms of stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate it a 10 out of 10 in terms of scalability. We've got it in some retail establishments, such as car dealerships. We use this product a lot with a company called Verkada, which is a cloud-based camera and access control system. It just fits everywhere because of its ease of use, ease of deployment, stability, and performance.
How are customer service and support?
We always opt for 24/7/365 support, and as a result, the phones are answered quickly. We're getting the level two and level three people immediately, and their follow-up is outstanding. Fortinet has been a very good experience.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Fortinet is our lead product, with Aruba being a close second. Both of them have been outstanding to use, and whenever they release a new product, I would like to use it. For example, I'm going to buy a FortiVoice phone system, just because I've had such great success. I'm so pleased with what we've done up to now that I want to see how much more they can do.
Everybody touts Ubiquiti and how great Ubiquiti is, but my number one thing with Ubiquiti is that I don't feel like it's a real enterprise solution. I'm sure a lot would disagree with me, but I find the interface very difficult to use. We are highly impressed with the ease of use of Fortinet. I was using some of the Ubiquiti products, and the reasons for switching were:
* Ease of deployment
* Physical quality in terms of what it feels like in your hand
* 24/7/365 support with hardware replacement plans
As a reseller, we provide support for the systems that we sell, but our objective, as crazy as it sounds, is to build systems that don't fail. If and when they do, the objective is that the replacement device is on-site, a lot of times even before the client realizes that there was an issue. That's kind of impressive.
How was the initial setup?
It was super easy. I would rate it a five out of five in terms of the setup.
The deployment for this very large Florida location is probably a day or a day and a half job, but that's only because of the number of switches and APs that we have to physically install. Getting it online takes a couple of hours.
What about the implementation team?
I'm the president of a tech company, and I'm not a tech guy. It's so simple and so intuitive that I can deploy the systems, but I've got my guys doing it. We have one or two people for its deployment and maintenance.
There is very little on the side of maintenance. The biggest challenge is just ensuring the ISP is getting their signal to us. One of the founding principles of a company is architecture. So, whether it's the cable, the method of installation, or the location of the installation, all of these variables contribute to either a successful or a challenging environment post-deployment.
What was our ROI?
It would be in the realm that if they don't call us, it works. So, not failing in itself is ROI to us. There are a lot of MSPs who want to be engaged with the client. I don't. We consider ourselves a technology hardware reseller. I do not, by any means, position us as an MSP. Although we support the systems we sell, I don't have a room filled with guys answering the phone, and that's by design.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing costs are reasonable. There are so many different types of licenses with Fortinet, but the licensing and the 24/7/365 support are so reasonable that I automatically include it with every transaction. I never line item it without it. There are no additional costs.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it a 10 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-04-09T00:00:00-04:00